


Reader prompts.

by RavennaRose



Category: MDZS, MODAOZUSHI, grandmasterofdemoniccultivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2020-04-11 22:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavennaRose/pseuds/RavennaRose
Summary: These are a collection of one-shots that have been requested by my readers. I hope you have enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Happy reading!** Currently taking suggestions





	1. Chapter 1

chapter 1

Cold damp cave

\-------------------------------------------------

Prompt by @Elelhy1602 Thank you for this. I hope you like this one-shot.

Prompt: What if Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian had spoken about their feelings in the cave?

\-----------------------------------------------------

It was getting cold in the cave. The temperature was dropping as days passed by and there seems to be no improvement in finding food. The only sound was the constant dripping off water droplets from an indoor brook.

They were both tired and hungry. Even though they have practiced inedia, it doesn't mean they can live weeks without food. His thoughts were muddled due to the fever. He slightly lifted his head up, only for it to fall back down. Something seems to pillow his fall.

He touches it and finds a leg covered in soft white robes. He gets up to a half sitting position to look at Lan Wangji.

He really had lent him his lap.

He smiled slightly unable to help himself. He held his gaze longer on Lan Wangji and settled back down.

His fever induced brain seems to think that Lan Wangji was handsome under the firelight.

Wait. He thought that even when he was healthy. Lan Wangji was a beautiful boy and there wasn't anybody who'd deny it. If they deny it, they're lying. Lan Wangji was 17 and he already garnered everybody's attention. He can only imagine what would happen when they're 25.

While he let his thoughts wander he forgot to notice the pair of eyes watching him.

"Get up."

He got started before looking up at Lan Wangji. A sly smile graced his lips. "Lan Zhan you lent me your lap. It's rude to ask me to leave now."

"Get up"

Wei Wuxian pouts before standing up. He was feeling mischievous and made a show of fainting.

"Lan Zhan!.. hold me!"

He barely took another step before Lan Wangji put his arms around him to steady him. Wei Wuxian comically feel into Lan Wangji's chest like a damsel in distress. He put a arm on his face and sighed. Like he had seen the women do in street plays.

He turned to look at Lan Wangji who was actively avoiding his eyes. His ears seem to be in a shade of strawberry red. Wei Wuxian wanted to nibble on it.

Shocked by his own thoughts he quickly stood up properly.

"Thank you for taking care of me second master Lan. I am highly indebted to you. But I am okay now!" He gave a bow of gratefulness.

"Mm.. " Lan Wangji's eyes seem to search his face. To see if he's telling the truth.

He really did care. Wei Wuxian's heart seems to skip a beat. Other than his sister, nobody has ever nursed him back to health. Lan Wangji had a good heart.

They both settled down against the rocks at their back. After a beat of silence, Lan Wangji whispered.

"Thank you... Wei Wuxian."

"Uh? For what?"

"... My leg.."

"Oh... it was my duty Lan Zhan. Were friends aren't we?"

"....". "Ah.. That's right. You don't want to be friends with me." Wei Wuxian seemed exhausted when he said this. He looked tired. Not just because of the fever but because of everything. He seemed.... Lonely sometimes.

Lan Wangji did not know what words to use to make him feel better so he gently wound an arm around Wei Wuxian and pushed him back onto the lap. "Sleep" he commanded.

Somehow it seemed more like a calling than a command.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and whispered "you're good to me Lan Zhan. I'm afraid if you will be the same after today." ---------------–——---------------- He woke up in a cold sweat. He had dreamt that his sister was eaten by one of the ghouls and had panicked. He woke up breathing hard only to notice Lan Wangji settling a cold cloth over his forehead. He felt a hand on his head.

"Sleep .. It's not real." Lan Wangji's voice sounded a little deeper than usual. It sounded exhausted.

He could see Lan Wangji's face close to him over the haze. Speaking in a low voice. "Talk.... To me."

"I am."

"Don't... leave."

"Never."

There was a conviction in his voice that he hadn't heard before. He promptly fell into Dreamland with the scent of sandalwood drifting over. ------------------------------------------- He woke up. Finally, the haze seemed to clear. He tried turning without avail. He turn the other side to see Lan Wangji curled up next to him holding his face.

Lan Wangji was a man. Why was he feeling this weird attraction towards him? He knew Lan Wangji cared about him but didn't know what it meant for the both of them. They were only 17. All he knew was that he was warm and safe. He hadn't felt this in a long time.

He turned towards Lan Wangji and looked at his sleeping face trying to understand these feelings. He kissed his nose. "We need to talk Lan Zhan. Wake up."

Lan Wangji slowly blinked his eyes open and looked at Wei Wuxian. He gets up with a start.

"Come back Lan Zhan. Talk to me."

"What?"

"Whatever is happening between us. Is this normal? Men don't hold each other this way Lan Zhan..... are we normal?"

Lan Wangji lowers his eyes before replying "I don't know..."

They were 17 and in the throes of attraction. They hadn't figured this part out.

"Do you... not want me to hold you?" Lan Zhan asked in a small voice. Tall, proud Lan Zhan asked in a small voice.

"Come back Lan Zhan. We'll figure out the rules later." Wei Wuxian opened his arms only for the other boy to fall into them. They laid there in the cold rocks with warmth in their chest.

Wei Wuxian ran his fingers along the muscles of Lan Wangji's neck. His fingers disappeared into the collar and onto the warm chest beneath.

He looked up Lan Wangji's face and asked "is this okay?"

He whispered a breathy yes. That was all Wei Wuxian needed.

He laid a long kiss at Lan Wangji's collar bones. "Lan Zhan.... " Lan Wangji noticed the hesitation. 

"What is it?"

"Touch me."

Two words. Two simple words seem to make Lan Wangji's blood boil. He hesitates a minute before grabbing onto two muscled thighs. Wei Wuxian lets out a silent gasp.

He removes Lan Wangji's robes with shaking fingers. "Tell me to stop Lan Zhan.."

"No."

He feels fingers brush against him intimately and arches into it closing his eyes.

He opened his lips but no sound would escape them. He could feel the touches, the kisses and the scent of sandalwood. He grabs onto the man on top of him and losses himself.

Wei Wuxian spent the next few minutes in euphoria. He doesn't know if what they did was right or wrong. But he hadn't felt this good ever.

He wasn't cold anymore. Lonely anymore. He felt light. Like floating on a feather.

"Lan Zhan... What does this mean?"

Lan Wangji stayed silent and held him closer. "Will you forget about this?"

"Never"

There it was. The conviction from before. And he knows that Lan Zhan always keeps his word. 


	2. Go back with me -1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was requested by @Riiza on archive of our own. Thank you for the prompt, I hope I have done justice to the moment between them.
> 
> Prompt: When Wei Wuxian returns from the burial mounds as the Yiling Patriarch, Lan Zhan asks him to go back with him to Gusu. Would things have turned out differently if he had been clearer?

The sharp cry of the music pierced through the night sky. It sounded like the call of the devil itself. There was silence all around the battleground, just for a minute. Jiang Cheng stood there frozen with hope and something akin to fear. 

Lan Zhan could not understand the expression on Jiang Cheng's face. He stood there in waiting. 

There it was again, the shrill cry of the note. It sounded higher than the last time. But unlike the last time, this time there were a series of musical notes following the first one. It was like the call of the siren. Corpses seem to flood the complex from all directions. They seem to lose their limbs as they crawled inside the complex.

Lan Zhan finally understood the look on Jiang Cheng's face.

Wen Chao fell down before crawling his way out of the place. He could not walk without assistance as both his legs were broken. He seemed to be covered in bandages and unhealed wounds that he looked half dead already. A man that was almost dead wanted to live.

Lan wanted to scoff at the irony of the whole situation. Wen Chao himself would've killed over thousands of men and even more alongside his father. Yet, he wanted to live. 

Lan Zhan was not a vindictive man. All he could do was think that this was all very poetic.

He strained his eyes to see a shadow looming over one of the entrances of the complex. Lan Zhan waited in hiding with a fire lit in his heart. He looked at Wen Zhuliu taking up a defensive position in front of Wen Chao. The man who no longer looked like a man but like one of the undeads crossing the complex. They both did not move from their hiding place.

They both waited with batted breaths. 

The shadow emerged wearing a dark robe that looked as black as the night itself. It had the walk of a well-trained warrior. Curt and disciplined, at the same time confident. Like it knew it could win this battle. There was a corpse of a beautiful woman walking by its side and a child that crawled around him like he was its lifeline.

Lan Zhan's breath stopped when he looked at black flute hanging by the creature's waist with a red tassel. He could recognize that tassel anywhere. He's been wandering all over looking for the exact man that was standing in front of him.

Wei Ying!

He finally took off the hood of his dark robes revealing a pair of sharp, red eyes. Eyes that were devoid of any emotion. This was not his Wei Ying. This was not the man that stole his heart when he was fifteen. This was not the man that had left him breathless with his smiles. There was no hint of any of those smiles left.

Lan Zhan dared not blink.

Wei Ying smiled. Showing rows of sharp teeth. He looked sinister.

He looked like hell had spat him out for vindication. 

Lan Zhan wanted to cry at the loss of this man. But before he could let his emotions take control, Wei Ying had the core melting hand down on his knees, gasping for breath. The man finally fell unconscious. Wei Ying turned towards Wen Chao.

He took a hold of his neck before he could move. He lifted up Wen Chao with ease and looked at him dead in the eyes before speaking.

"How does it feel to finally see a ghost in real?" He asked in a deep, dark voice that sounded foreign. Wei Ying's voice had gotten deeper over the period that Lan Zhan had not seen him.

Snap.

Wen Chao's head lolled to one side, with eyes wide open with fear. He looked like a man who had seen the devil himself.

"Wei Ying!!"

Jiang Cheng rushed to greet his brother. Wei Ying's eyes seem to gain a little bit of the light lost. He watched the two brothers fall into an embrace. He slowly emerged. He walked over to Wei Ying. His fingers twitched. Like they wanted to hold the man in front of him. Like they longed to do so.

He watched Jiang Cheng ask him questions in rapid fire. He watched Wei Ying struggle to answer them. This was not his Wei Ying, his brain seems to remind him again. Wei Ying was not capable of cold murder, but this one was.

He did not ever think that he will miss Wei Ying being a chatterbox. Yet here he was. He did not like the quieter version of the man. He looked grown up, mature and worn out. He was not a day older than 21 though. Neither of them was.

Wei Ying, what happened to you?

He finally turned to lock eyes with Lan Zhan. His eyes said nothing but they seemed to seek silence.

"Not going to patronize me, Lan Zhan? Go on."

"Wei Ying, go back to Gusu with me."

In an instant he watched Wei Ying's eyes harden into molten steel. "Lan Zhan. Leave."

"You cannot keep doing this Wei Ying! Go back with me!"

"This had nothing to do with you master Lan. Its a family issue."

"...He's right Second master Lan. This does not concern you. Stay out of this."

"You think the clans will let this pass?! Look at yourself Wei Ying! you're covered in blood! It is not too late to turn back!"

"Who do you think you are?!! You think you can walk into my life and tell me that my choices are bad? You weren't there second master Lan. You. know. nothing." Wei Ying exploded in red hot anger. Lan Zhan felt like he had been slapped. Lan Zhan knew he misunderstood the whole thing when he referred to him as -second master Lan and not Lan Zhan.

"Wei Ying........I..."

Lan Zhan wanted to scream and cry and hold this man close who held so much sadness in him. "I... I'm worried about you.."

Wei Ying's eyes widened slightly. He stood there waiting for him to continue.

"I... I.. looked everywhere for you...." "And here you are.."

".. Here I am.." Wei Ying whispered with disbelief in his voice. He looked at Lan Zhan's eyes for a long moment before turning away. He tilted his head and said "But I cannot go back with you Lan Zhan. I have duties as a member of the Yunmeng Jiang sect."

After a moment of silence, he whispered "I do not belong in your world."

Saying this he walked away and never turned back. Jiang Cheng followed him almost instantly without saying anything anymore.

Lan Zhan looked at his retreating back and wondered what he had done wrong. He stood there with a distressed expression and tears that were in but refused to fall.

Unbeckonest to him, Wei Ying was just as much distressed as he was. And Lan Zhan could not hear the rapid beating of Wei Ying's heart.

\------------------------to be continued......

I based this prompt on the novel and not on the series because I am aware it's slightly different. 

I welcome my readers to send in their idea for prompts. Happy reading!


	3. Go back with me -2

Wei Ying sat there with his head hanging low. He stood there in the room with two large portraits. One was decorated in all gold and one with simple purple silk. The gold one was Madam Yu because of the splendor she carried with her. And the plain silk for his father, who gave away all his wealth to his people. He gave a low bow again and rose up.

He hadn't cried after returning. He hadn't wailed as his brother had. He hadn't screamed. Yet he had mourned. He had mourned in his black robes. He had shut himself in a room and refused to step out. Refused to eat. Refused to sleep.

His sister, bless her soul.. had kept a bowl of soup at the door every day. Every single day without fails in hopes that he would come out to eat. On the 8th day, he finally emerged. His eyes took some time to get used to the sunlight. 

'Wei Ying!" His sister called him out. He watched her smile and run over to him. 

He wanted to reciprocate the smile she had but his face muscles refused to move.

"Shije. You must rest. I was told that you've been taking care of all the household work."

"I wanted to see you Wei Ying" she held his face in her palms and smiled at him. 

She was the light of his life. She could almost take away the darkness in his heart. Almost. He was knee deep in demonic cultivation and surrounded by dark energies all the time. Not even his Shije can erase it and he knew that. He vowed to go as far as he can for the Yunmeng Jiang sect. His mother would've wanted that.

He gave her a right smile and said "I must go now Shije. There is a council meeting and Jiang Cheng needs me there. Get some rest."

"But! You didn't eat anything!"

Wei Ying vanished with a flurry of his robes.

\----------------------------------------

The meeting itself was uneventful. They mostly spoke about reconstructing all the buildings destroyed in the fire, including civilian buildings. Some of them brought up his sister's wedding. But all it took was a single look from Wei Ying to shut them up. 

This was purely family business and they had nothing to do with it.

Wei Ying barely paid any attention to the meeting as he was trying to keep his eyes awake. Sleep had not come to him. He was still plagued by nightmares and he still had not gotten used to sleeping during the night. It has been 2 months since he had returned and there was no change in his sleeping habits.

He sighed when the meeting was over.

"Wei Ying, you should sleep." 

"It's fine fine." He waved Jiang Cheng off and headed to his room.

They needed to prepare for the spring festival that was in a week's time. With the reconstruction work going on, there was barely any time left to prepare. And Wei Ying was busy trying to figure out an antidote for corpse poisoning. There was a lot of work.

Shije was taking care of everything.

He saw a white pigeon land on his windowsill. He was as white as snow and seem to carry a collar. Upon closer look, it seemed to resemble the Lan clan's symbol. He walked over and opened the tiny silk pouch tied to its leg.

It read,

" _Salutations Master Wei,_

_I write this letter upon my brother's suggestion. We hear that the preparations for the spring festivities are underway. We understand how hard it must be to manage everything there. Please allow the Lan sect to assist you in taking care of the festivities. We shall send in a few of our people to help you with them and also a few of our builders to help you in the reconstruction._

_Cordially,  
Lan Xichen_"

Wei Ying had to appreciate their intentions. He wondered if taking their help was a good idea. He turned the letter over to find more words.

" _Wei Ying. I wish to see you. I wish to come and assist you with the preparations and also to talk to you. Will you allow me to do so?_

 _Waiting for your reply,  
Lan Wangji_"

His heart unconsciously skipped a beat. 

He read the words over and over again trying to understand the underlying meaning in it. He hid the letter. After a moment he wondered why he hid the letter. There was nothing scandalous in it! He tried convincing his own heart before going to meet his brother.

Jiang Cheng sat in the courtroom in the high chair.  He looked very much like Madam Yu. 

A lot of people assumed that his father was the one who headed the court when in reality it was his mother. She was the one who looked after the court sessions and was involved in the legal system of the sect. She was the brains of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. Whereas his father was the heart.

He was the center of the sect and represented everything kind and good in this world. He was the spirit of the people. Thinking of his father brought a pang to his chest. He never knew his real father. But that did not matter to him as long as he had Jiang Fengmian. 

Yet the tears wouldn't fall.

"Steady at work I see Master Jiang." He teased lightly.

"What do you want?"

"Lan Xichen has sent a letter offering assistance with the spring festival and also with the construction. Should we accept?"

"Wei Ying I don't think its a good idea."

"Well, they're offering free service. Why refuse?"

"it's not about the money Wei Ying."

"...Well?" 

Don't you think it will make us look weak as a sect?"

"Brother brother... I have an army of over 5000 undead soldiers. Do you really think that's what people are thinking? We could crush anyone who dared oppose us"

Jiang Cheng noticed the dark hue that Wei Ying's eyes seem to take as he uttered those words.

"Wei Ying...?"

Wei Wuxian seemed to snap out of it. For a moment he seemed like someone else and that had scared Jiang Cheng. But he let it pass.

"I will send them a letter of confirmation then."

"No!" "I mean I will send them." Jiang Cheng gave him a funny look before walking away.

" _Salutations Second master Lan,_

_We are glad to say that we accept your offer. We insist that you stay with us at lotus pier._

_Cordially,  
Wei Wuxian_"

On the back, he wrote,

" _Lan Zhan, I told you we do not belong in the same world. What more must we talk?_ "

The words felt wrong to him as he wrote them on paper. Also, his handwriting looked as if a chicken had scribbled it. But it would get the point across. 

If he was truthful to himself, he had thought about Lan Zhan at least once every day. He had thought of writing to him. At one point he even considered composing a tune. But he found it ridiculous and dropped it.

He tied the letter to the pigeon and let it fly. 

\--------------------To be continued....


	4. Go back with me -3

 The people were gathered around the lotus pier with equal looks of awe on their faces. They would not stop staring and it was clearly making people uncomfortable. 

There were at least 30 Gusu Lan Sect students who stood there in pristine robes, mounted on snow-white horses. Their forehead ribbons and individually engraved swords and bows gave them an aristocratic look. Their robes fluttered in the wind making them look like an army from the heavens.

Who wouldn't stare? 

In front of them stood Lan Wangji in similar robes with Bichen sheathed to his side. He stood there in front of the group for the gates to be opened. Shije and Jiang Cheng were both there to greet them. Wei Wuxian was still confused with their encounter from months ago, hence decided to stay in and meditate.

With all the commotion from the villagers, he could barely concentrate.

He got up and started pacing the room like a caged tiger. His dark thoughts were creeping up at him. His mind started making up reasons for why Lan Zhan wanted him to come with him. Did he want to imprison him? Extract information? Kill him?

His mind started wandering to the dark corners without his consent a lot these days. 

He clutched the railing of the balcony and almost broke it with his bare hands. He heard a knock and his shije's voice. "Wei Ying?"

"Yes, Shije?"

"It's rude to not greet your guests. Come greet them."

Wei Ying could never say no to his sister. He opened the door and followed her to the grand dining hall where all of them were seated. His eyes immediately went to Lan Zhan. Lan Wangji's eyes were fixated on him and barely moved the entire time he was in the room. Wei Ying was the first one to break the eye contact.

Wei Ying smiled and gave everyone a light bow. 

"Welcome. I hope the journey was good." He saw everyone politely nod and give him a bow of greeting.

Lan Wangji still hadn't spoken or moved. He kept looking at Wei Wuxian. To Wei Ying, it felt like someone had left him naked. He felt those eyes studying him. He fought the insane urge to cover him up.

He promptly walked out. He had greeted everyone as told by his sister. He knew this was childish behavior but he did not care. 

"Master Wei."

Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks. The corridor was a long one and they were surrounded by water. The only escape is to jump into the water. Which seemed even more childish. He slowly turned around.

"Yes, second master Lan?"

"How long... must we avoid each other?"

"So you do have a voice? good. good." "You used to avoid me so much that it's surprising you want to have a conversation now."

Wei Wuxian knew he sounded bitter but he didn't care.

"....Walk with me...."

Saying this Lan Zhan walked in front of him. Wei Wuxian followed. 

They walked a while before they reached an open patio much away from the main complex. It was far away that no one will be able to hear it. 

"Wei Wuxian..."

Wei Ying held up a hand. "No, wait. My turn to talk."

"I did not call you here as a peace treaty between us. I called you here because Jiang Cheng agreed. It's entirely political master Lan. Let's be very clear about where you stand."

"Wei Wuxian.."

"You do not belong in my world. I'm grateful to you for saving my life in the cave but let us not forget that I returned the favor."

"Wei Ying."

"So take your patronizing elsewhere second master Lan. Or it is a Lan thing? Heavens, I cannot imagine what your father would've been like!"

"Wei Ying!"

He has never seen Lan Zhan lose composure. Ever. He stood, waiting.

"You've changed."

"I know." Wei Ying's eyes were grim when he said those words. They had this darkness to them that Lan Wangji had not seen before. That worried him.

"Wei Ying... I... it's not too late."

"For?"

"You can still go back to Gusu with me."

"I told you I am NOT going!!" Wei Ying roared. He no longer cared about who heard. "I warned you before not to interfere in my business."

He slowly advanced towards Lan Wangji. There was a dangerous glint to his eyes and that should've scared Lan Zhan. But he stood his ground. 

"I told you that you do not belong anywhere near me! Do not look at me with those virtuous eyes! Do not try to set me straight." As he spoke his voice kept getting lower and his eyes kept getting darker.

"Do. not. ever. speak to me that way again."

Lan Zhan remained unmoved but there was unmistakable shock in his eyes. 

As the haze cleared, Wei Ying realized that his right hand was clasped around Lan Wangji's throat. He slowly retracted his hands. He could not break Lan Zhan's shocked gaze. His hand felt foreign to him. He slowly backed himself into a corner and stood there shivering.

In fear of what he could've done or in barely restrained control, he did not know.

All he knew was that he had not felt like himself when he had wound his fingers around the other man's neck.

He turned around unable to feel those eyes on him and held onto the railings. His hands were getting red from the pressure but he couldn't feel the pain. He felt numb yet emotional at the same time. He clenched his teeth to prevent him from screaming out.

He knew day by day he was losing control. He knew he was slipping. But he refused to acknowledge it. He finally snapped into reality with two warm arms sliding around him.

One held him around his torse and the other one held his shivering palm.

The weight of a warm solid body grounded him back to reality. He did not want to shake him off. He felt real. solid. unlike his dreams.

"Breathe."

His voice made everything disappear. 

Wei Ying concentrated on the deep baritone of Lan Zhan's voice and did as instructed. The arms around him tightened as his breathing stuttered. 

Lan Zhan looked at the man in his arms and cursed. He cursed for the first time ever in his life. He cursed the universe for putting a good man through hell and expecting him to survive it. For not saving him when he needed it the most. Most of all he cursed the gods for making his heart bleed for this man. Curse it all to hell!

"Wei Ying. I am here."

Yes he was. Wei Ying had a feeling that he was going to be here for a while.

"I am.. I am okay. you can let go now..."

"No." it was a strong refusal.

"I will hold you."

So much meaning was packed into those four words. Wei Ying had not been held since he was a child. 

He gave into the feeling and turned around. Lan Zhan slightly loosened his arms and looked at Wei Ying. He bowed forward and hugged Wei Ying without saying anything. The other man's arms went around his body and refused to let go.

Time stilled to a stop. Neither of them remembered who let go first.

\----------------------------------------to be continued.

 

 


	5. Go back with me -4

Wei Ying had woken up because of another nightmare. This was the fourth night in a row that this was happening. He tried sleeping during the night time as adviced by his sister. But no matter how much he tried, he always woke up in a cold sweat.

He was also having weird moments of just spacing out and thinking about Lan Zhan. It was getting way out of hand. 

They have small interactions throughout the day. And Lan Zhan seems to brush his hands every time he passes by him in the hallway. 

Thinking about it now, it also seemed like they pass each other at the hallways a lot these days.

He shook his head to clear it. 

The spring festival had started and it was in full swing. They Lan sect members had stayed back a few days to enjoy the festivities before they could head back to cloud recess. Most of them stayed back because could recess barely lets anyone hold any festivals or celebrations mostly cause of the noise. They juniors stayed back to enjoy themselves, even though they won't say it out loud.

Wei chuckled looking at the Lan juniors playing with the village children. In the small amount of time that they were here, they had gotten fond of the people here. Especially children. Even Wei Ying had gotten attached to a few of the Lan juniors. This place was going to be silent again after they leave.

There it was. The brush of fingers against his arms.

"Excuse me, master Wei." Lan Wangji walked passed him.

Wei Ying looked at him for a minute too long and said "Now this is just ridiculous!"

Lan Zhan looked at him with innocent eyes. 

"Oh do not look at me that way Lan Zhan! It's ridiculous the amount of time we seem to pass these hallways!"

"I do not understand." He had the same expressionless face while saying that. Wei Ying started to doubt if he was misreading into things.

"No! I know this is too often to be coincidences."

"Master Wei?"

"Oh just leave!" Everyone noticed Wei Ying walk away in a huff. But no one noticed the smile that Lan Zhan was trying so desperately prevent from appearing.

\--------------------------

Soon a month had passed and the spring festival was almost coming to an end. The Lan sect people were getting ready to leave. Lan Zhan was gazing out of his room's window and watching the sunset. This will be the last sunset that he watches from lotus pier. 

He had gotten used to the warmth of Lotus pier. He had trouble getting used to the layers of his robes when he had first arrived. The heat was making his robes stick to him in a very uncomfortable manner before Wei Ying laughed and threw a basket filled with clothes at him.

It contained thin linen clothes and airy fabric that not only aided in movement but also with the heat. It was in pristine white which was in accordance with the sect rules. 

Lan Zhan was not used to sighing, but he seems to be doing that a lot these days. In the month that he has been here, he had grown unbearably attached to Wei Ying. He had lost days of sleep talking to Wei Ying.

The day he learned that Wei Ying had trouble sleeping at nights, he had diligently stayed awake, hoping. waiting. Hoping that Wei Ying would try to find him to talk to him or merely be in his presence. He had not.

So he had. Lan Zhan had hunted down Wei Ying every night and forced to him to spend time together. 

Some days it was awkward silences. Some days it was filled with voices and conversations. Some days it was laughter. Some days. Some rare days, it was filled with silent kisses in the dark. They did not go beyond kissing and they did not acknowledge the kisses in the morning. They both acted as if their lips were not bruised from kissing.

Neither had the courage to put a name to these intense summer nights. Where Wei Ying was hotter than the summer's heat.

It was almost a month now and avoiding had gotten them nowhere.

He has to go back, staying is not an option. As the direct in line for the inheritance of the Lan sect, he had responsibilities. His brother had already sent an official letter for calling everyone back.

He was packed and ready to go tomorrow morning. He heard a slight knock on the door.

He opened the door to find Wei Ying with darkened eyes. 

There it was. The darkness that he had not seen in days. It was back in those beautiful eyes again. There was something wrong and Wei Ying looked ready to explode. 

"They used my sister to trigger me, How dare they!" He exploded.

"They think they can test my patience and get away with it? How dare those old geezers." He finally understood what Wei Ying was speaking about. 

Wei Wuxian was giving legal counsel to Jiang Cheng for the rebuilding of the clan. Which resulted in bringing broad policies that benefit a lot of common people, that also meant that the aristocrats pay more taxes. This has not sat well with them and they had tried advising Jiang Cheng that his brother was unstable.

Truth to be spoken, Wei Ying was more capable of managing the sect. The only reason he is not the leader is his birth. He was not blood-related to the Yungmeng Jiang clan nor was he interested in the position. His demonic cultivation practice was also shunned.

But using his sister to trigger him during open court was the lowest they could go. just when he was about to comfort Wei Ying.

"You!!" He pointed at him with trembling fingers. "You act as if I don't exist. After... after everything you tell me and every time you k..kiss me. You act like it never happened!"

"Wei Y..."

"No. You are leaving tomorrow. The least you could do is acknowledge it!"

"I do."

"No you do not! And don't look so calm when I'm boiling inside!"

He gently pulled on his face and kissed the side of his face. He pulled Wei Ying's trembling form into his arms and rubbed his back. "Wei Ying. I am not ashamed of what we do."

"You're not? We're both men...."

"It does not matter."

"People will not accept this Lan Zhan. The elders will not. You're the second in line."

"It does not matter."

"But!"

"Shhh... It does not matter." He said this in a much lower breathy tone. The tone his voice took when they had a particularly intense session of kissing. "It does not matter."

"No?"

"No. You matter" Wei Ying widened his eyes and the darkness in Wei Ying's eyes seems to fade away with those words. Lan Zhan's heart broke the thousandth time for this man that no one seems to understand. Just as he was about to ask Wei Ying to stay...

 _Wei Ying_... he heard his sister calling in the background. He was about to leave when Lan Zhan pulled him inside to give him a kiss that could be felt in the bones. A kiss that set his nerves on fire and made the ends of his hair stand up. He felt a bite on his lips.

Lan Zhan had never done that before.

"I... I have to go. its... Shije."

"Go. But come back."

Wei Ying nodded.

"Soon"

He nodded again before dashing off.

\-----------------------------To be continued.

 

 


	6. Go back with me -5

Warning: Mature themes.

\-------------------------------

To Lan Zhan, it had felt like a lifetime waiting for Wei Wuxian to come back. It was almost daybreak, but he had no intention of sleeping without talking to Wei Ying. He has no intention of leaving without knowing the depth of Wei Ying's feelings for him. 

He had already spent months wondering on if Wei Ying was alive or dead. He was done waiting.

The door slightly creaked and Lan Zhan stood up. He could see Wei Ying adjust to the darkness of the room almost instantly. It's like he was more at home with darkness rather than light. He had also noticed that Wei Ying was the most active during the night.

Lan Zhan found him practicing his combat skills or meditate during the night. Sometimes he also found him reading or diligently noting things down. He was a nocturnal creature naturally. He walked inside the room finding Lan Zhan almost instantly. They locked eyes and air seem to vibrate with electricity and unsaid intentions. They were two, young, red-blooded men in their prime years. 

Lan Zhan was the one that broke the trance by walking over to Wei Ying and kissing him open-mouthed. 

Wei Ying could not think, he could not breathe. He felt like the ground would fall from right underneath his feet. He braced himself by holding on to Lan Zhan's shoulders. Lan Zhan refused to remove his lips from the other man's. 

They had stolen kisses in the past few days in the darkness. When they thought no one was looking. But they never had the time to stop and savor those kisses. Lan Zhan wanted to capture this moment in time and never stop. He was leaving by daybreak and he has no intention of leaving before he could make his intentions clear.

He removed his lips from the kiss only to trail them down the other man's throat. He stepped closed and slipped on Wei Ying's robes. Both the men ended up falling on the soft mat that was added on the floor. It was plush and handled the fall well.

Lan Zhan ended up with his complete weight on Wei Ying's torso. 

Everything came to a standstill. 

Wei Ying had his eyes wide open and did not take them off Lan Zhan's face. His heart was beating like the hooves of running horses. He had sweat gather at his temples. From the heat or from the man above him, he did not know. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Lan Zhan was transfixed at looking at those lips that opened and stayed slightly gapping. They were tempting him, inviting him to sink his tongue in them. Lan Zhan knew he was healthy male and attraction was a normal part of growing up. But right now, he was scared of becoming something that he was not.

His fingers were itching to pull that beautiful head back and expose the long column of the throat. To pierce the neck with his fangs. To rip off those dark silken robes and feast his eyes on the body underneath.

Unable to help himself he started panting, very slowly, trying to hold himself back. 

"Wei Ying." His voice sounded raspy to him. "Tell me to stop."

"Why?"

"Because.... Because I cannot stop myself otherwise." Lan Zhan bowed his head in shame and refused to look up. They were still on the ground and there was nowhere else to look other than Wei Ying's beautiful face.

"Lan Zhan... give me something to remember for the rest of the months I won't see you. Make me remember you"

Lan Zhan closes both his palms in a tight fist. "Wei Ying.... This.. I..."

"Be one with me."

That was all the confirmation he needed. He wasted no time in completely lowering himself to the body under him. They were pressed from head to toe with absolutely no chance of moving away without brushing by their sensitive areas. 

Both the men were finding it hard to breathe. Wei Ying sank his fingers into Lan Zhan's thighs and squeezed hard. He trailed his palm above those legs until he heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Wei Ying!"

"It is only fair Lan Zhan" He saw Wei Ying give him a smug look and saw a sly smile emerging at the corner of those lips. 

"Afterall you did.. Ah!"

He felt Lan Zhan's hand somewhere no hand has ever gone before. 

Great lord of the heavens! No one told him it would feel like this!

"Shh.... Breathe Wei Ying. I am here."

Wei Ying opened his lips in a silent gasp, begging for air. He gripped Lan Zhan tighter and fisted the other arm in his hair. The body seemed to arch on its own. He was stretched like a taut bowstring unable to rest.

A flash of white.

a thin line of electricity ran along with his spine and burst behind his eyes.

His body convulsed and finally came to a rest.

"Listen to me... breathe. Slowly."

Wei Ying followed that gentle tone and did as he was told.  He was panting hard when he felt soft lips pressed behind his ears. He could feel the firm but gentle press of those lips against his skin. 

"I... I want to see you. Lan Zhan. Let me see you."

The man above was slightly taken aback at that request but chose to comply. He took his robes off one by one and folded them neatly.

"pff.. hahaha! Second master Lan! How adorable you are." Wei Ying's entire system vibrated with happiness and he was surrounded by a hazy glow that came in with the morning light.

Lan Zhan stood there basking in that radiance. 

Wei Ying had his body supported by one arm while crinkling his eyes in mirth. He had his lips pulled in a grin and mild dimples emerged beside that grin. His hair and his dark robes were disheveled to make him look like a fallen angel. 

Fallen angel because with the way Wei Ying looked, he could make a man sin. And Lan Zhan was damned. 

He finally dropped all of his clothes and stood in front of Wei Ying with no shame. That stopped Wei Ying's grin and seemed to put him in a trance. 

Lan Zhan walked towards the man in sure steps and kneeled down.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued....


	7. Go back with me -6

Warning: mature themes

\----------------------------------------------------------

He gasped.

He extended his neck to search for the air that seemed to disappear from his lungs with every breath he took. He opened his lips in a silent invitation for more air. 

His eyes were screwed shut and mouth parted. The long dark locks clung to his forehead and bare back that were soaked with sweat. The smell of sandalwood seemed to permeate the air and stick to everything in sight. 

His breath hitched. locked eyes with the other man.

The look on Lan Wangji's eyes can burn any man down where he stood. They remained unmoved. His eyes seared a seal of longing and lust into his skin. He roamed those golden irises from the top of Wei Ying's head to his naval, leaving a trail of lightning and electricity in its path. 

Wei Ying, being only a mortal could do nothing but be burnt in the ritual. 

He let out a loud gasp and pulled on the sheets. His knuckles turned white. His body went taut and his chest heaved with the breath he lost. He lifted his legs and stretched his toes into a fine point. His thighs quivered and so did his naval. 

The white light behind his eyes disappeared and the air finally rushed into his lungs. He took big gulping breaths and finally opened his eyes. He lifted his head to look at the other man.

The man knelt by his body did not look exhausted. There was not a single hair out of place. There was a foreign look on his face which can only be described as smugness. But Lan Zhan was never a man to gloat about his victories.

Maybe this was the only conquest he would gloat about.

\--------------------------------------------

They lay on the carpet tangled in each other's robes.

Neither of them had the courage to speak about the act that they had just indulged in. Wei Ying laid on his side and the other man had an arm around his body, keeping him close.

He closed his palm into a tight fist. He wanted Lan Zhan to speak up and acknowledge this! He opened his mouth and Lan Zhan beat him to it.

"Wei Ying..." He breathed his name.

To Wei Ying it sounded like poetry. No one has ever uttered his name with such reverence. He readied himself and turned around to look at those eyes that held so many secrets. He held his gaze and waited for Lan Zhan to continue. 

"Wei Ying, will you come back to cloud recess with me?"

Wei Ying raised his eyebrows "Why are you insistent on this?"

"I wish to prove to my elders that you are not a threat to anyone."

To that, Wei ying had no reply. He pulled himself away from the embrace and sat up. "Lan Zhan, I do not need you to defend me! I did not care then. I do not care now." 

"I wish to help anyone that seeks my help and protection. No one has even had a glimpse of what my life has been like. I do not wish nor have the need to justify myself for anyone's sake."

........ Lan Zhan kept silent

He suddenly understood how Lan Zhan must have interpreted it. To Lan Zhan, it must've sounded like he was dismissing him as one of the random men for whom he had no consideration for. 

"You are not one of them." 

The other man finally looked up and held his gaze. He cupped Wei Ying's face and spoke "The world will one day understand."

"I do not need the world to understand, as long as you do."

"Wei Ying...."

"Enough Lan Zhan... Let us not speak of the world when we are the only ones here."

He gave up and pulled Wei Ying into a bone-crushing embrace. The sun was finally up, which meant his time was up. He had the juniors waiting for him at the door and his brother at cloud recess. He had duties as the second master Lan. He had to leave.

But he was leaving his heart in this very room in lotus pier. 

His heart was racing and he was running out of time. He had a thousand words to utter yet none came to his mind. No words could describe the desperation he was feeling at this moment. He wanted to seal them both in this room and throw away the key so that none would open it.

Words failed him. But he knew what he had to do.

He pulled away from the embrace and removed his forehead ribbon. He gently folded the precious piece of fabric and presented it to Wei Ying. 

Wei Ying had a confused look on his face.

"To remember me."

"You have already given me plenty of memories to keep me awake at night Lan Zhan." He gave a flirtatious smile. "But why? you refused to even let me touch it before. What changed now?"

To which he looked away. "Because now....  it belongs to you."

"I must leave. The juniors have already assembled. They await my presence."

He took a longing look at the other man and began putting on his robes. He mounted his sword on his back and looked ready.

"Lan Zhan.... write to me."

Lan Zhan nodded to this and turned around to leave.

"I will not come to see you off. I cannot do that."

"I know...."

He finally stepped out and closed the doors.

He knew from the shocked looks of the students that they were searching for his forehead ribbon. Jiang Yanli looked at him for the longest before something lit up in her. 

"Master Lan, may I enquire as to where your forehead ribbon went?"

"I lost it."

"Must I send it back to you when I find it?"

"No."

Jiang Cheng did not seem to catch the importance of the conversation. But the lady of the house understood. She gave a gentle smile to Lan Zhan and nodded.

Good. The fewer people knew, the better.

The juniors seemed to be frozen at that reply. They had the biggest question mark on their faces. Lan Zhan might've smiled if he wasn't worried about his uncle. He knew news travels fast.

Soon, there will be questions. 

But in his heart, he knew he had made the right decision. The ribbon was rightfully Wei Ying's since the night he saw him on the roof, drinking emperor's smile. He did not know then. Now he knew.

He knew he had lost the battle when he was fifteen. Time made him acknowledge it.

He gave a nod to Jiang Cheng and a bow to Jiang Yanli before mounting his horse. He took one long look at the windows of lotus pier before kicking the horse into a gallop.

Wei Ying's scent clung to his robes as he stashed away the morning's memories into the deep recess of his heart. 

Wei Ying. Wait for me.

       

\-------------------------------The end-----------------------------

I am still taking requests from readers. If there is a scenario you wish me to write about, feel free to inbox me.

Thank you for reading!

 

 

 

 


	8. Who are you? -1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This prompt was suggested by a wonderful reader of mind @Kawaiisakura1993 and backed up by @Galaxyjad and I believe it's their group effort :p Sneaky people. I hope this story does justice to your idea.
> 
> Summary: Lan Wangji gets into a fatal accident while protecting someone. This ends up being the wake-up call for Wei Ying on how important this could be to him. 
> 
> Timeline: This takes place in the original universe when all the clans have gathered for the annual meet and Wei Wuxian shoots an arrow blindfolded. This is also around the time when Lan Wangji kisses him when he's blindfolded.

Wei Wuxian was a little worried.

The clans did not take well to him showing off his skills in archery. People already spoke in hushed whispers behind his back and this stunt of his did not help.

What angered him more was the idiot that was throwing around marriage proposals to his Shije. He was doing this in front of all the clans. Which meant there were at least 50 different witnesses to his declarations of love to his sister. This could actually make the elders putting pressure on his sister to accept the proposal as a political marriage.

Hard truth was, the marriage could end up being advantageous for the Yunmeng Jiang clan which was still recovering from closing their clan leaders and also from the 'tarnished image' that Wei Ying brought. 

But he refused his sister to mend the damages made by everyone else. If there was one person who had no blame on them, it was his Shije. He refused to sit by and watch his Yanli be used a pawn in their political games. 

Unless Jiang Yanli herself chose a man to be her forever partner, no one can force this on her. 

But he highly doubted that his sister would have such low standards for a man. She wouldn't. Would she?

What if she did?

That almost gave Wei Ying anxiety and he refused to let his mind wander there. But his mind often wandered to the mind-numbing kiss he received earlier that day. His heart refused to settle down the whole evening. 

That worst thing was that he had no way of knowing who she was. 

He was wandering the campsite when he managed to spot Lan Wangji in the distance, by the fire. 

He looked forlorn. Sad even. Not that it diminished his beauty in any way. The campfire only accentuated his facial features adding dept to his facial bones, making him look like a true marble statue. If it was not for his occasional blinking, one would assume it was some artist's work.

The man was beautiful, He was also the second prince of the Lan clan, which made Wei Wuxian wonder how many marriage proposals he had received by now. The thought seemed to leave a sour taste in his mouth for some reason. 

The man was seated on a dark log of wood with his back hunched. That is how Wei Ying could tell that the man was troubled. 

Lan's never slouch.

He almost wanted to laugh when his mind added Lan Qiren's voice to that sentence. 

The dancing flames were reflected in his golden irises making them look like molten gold. Long lashes outlined those pools of gold. 

What would they look like speckled with snow? Would they look more silver than golden? Would they shine? 

A raven's call from a distance broke Wei Ying out of his reverie. He shook his head before walking over to the Lan deep in thought. 

"Deep in thoughts I see."

Lan Wangji looked up at him and for a minute his eyes seem to widen. But it was very subtle to tell. For a long minute, the other man just stared at Wei Ying, without saying a word. 

Wei Ying slightly raised his eyebrows to enquire what he was looking at. Lan Zhan opened his lips to say something and suddenly closed them. 

"Oh so now you refuse to talk to me second master Lan?" Wei Ying had a smug smile on his face but the heart fell at that thought. 

Lan Zhan turned away from him towards the fire once again without saying anything. "You should rest."

"So you do have a voice after all!"

Wei Ying pushed his robes to the side and sat beside the other man. Lan Wangji's face showed surprise at that gesture before subtly moving to make room for Wei Ying. 

A smile lit up Wei Ying's face. 

"Lan Zhan?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever slept under the stars? I assume you are a creature of habit and cannot sleep at new places?"

"Hm"

"I shall assume that as a yes." "You should try though. It is a wonderful experience."

"Maybe."

"You should at least trust me on this."

"I trust you." He stated as a fact. He said that like Wei Ying was already supposed to be aware of that. That it was a universally known statement that Lan Wangji of the Gusu Lan sect trusted Wei Wuxian without question. It just seemed to slip out as an unconscious phrase.

To Wei Ying... This moment was worth remembering. 

To witness Lan Zhan in his most honest state. In a world filled with lies and betrayals, he was a man worth worshipping. Honest and true. And to have his trust... It meant everything to Wei Ying. 

"I trust you too Lan Zhan." He said in a low voice.

The other man turned around at that statement and locked eyes with Wei Ying. He studied Wei Ying's eyes for any hints of humor and found nothing. He lifted his fingers to the other man's face before abruptly dropping them. 

"Lan Zhan?"

Lan Wangji refused to look at him. He threaded his fingers together and clenched them hard to punish them for having thoughts of their own. His eyes hovered everywhere but the man seated next to him. 

"You should rest."

"So should you Lan Zhan. Remember we are displaying our skills tomorrow, we need to be well-rested."

He squeezed his shoulders and got up. "I should go scout the place, make sure it's safe. I can't sleep the nights anyway. Goodnight"

As he walked away he did not realize that a pair of longing golden eyes were strained on his retreating form. 

\------------------------- To be continued-------------------------------------


	9. Who are you? -2

The morning came early and life was starting to stir in the woods. The crickets stopped when the birds started chirping. The sun was up and bright and burning everything in its sight.

The arena was filled with enthusiastic clansmen and the general public that came to witness the games. To watch top cultivators compete against each other and show off their skills is not something that anyone wants to miss. 

This year the arena was filled to the brim to watch the demon cultivator in action. Where there was fear there was always a fascination. To watch the famed fallen son of the Yunmeng Jiang clan was not something that anyone wished to miss. 

A loud horn sounded in the distance. Lan Qiren stood up and gave the signal for the clans to enter in the order allotted to them. 

The Qinghe Nie sect was the first one to enter in all dark green robes. Nie Mingjue was the head of the precession followed by Nie Huaisang as the deputy. They all rode brown horses in unison. The green symbolized wisdom and the brown symbolized the earth. They believed that wisdom kept them grounded and humble.

It was followed by the Lanling sect with their glittering golden robes. Everyone had to look away for a minute to adjust to the radiance. The men and women held their head high with pride. The women adorned ruby jewelry which made them look like sirens in the woods. 

Next came the Yungmeng Jiang clan in vibrant indigo robes with their flags held high, displaying the undying lotus. Jiang Cheng rode at the head with Wei Wuxian as the deputy. The vibrancy of their robes clashed with their dark horses making entire arena come alive. 

Everyone waited with batted breath for the Gusu Lan sect to enter. 

As the doors opened, all one could see was white. 

Lan Xichen rode in the front with a gentle smile with Lan Wangji as his deputy. They were all draped in snow-white robes with their forehead ribbons swaying in the wind. For a minute, just for a minute, the entire precession looked as if the gods had descended upon earth. They floated on pristine white horses and held an air of silence. Lan Zhan turned around to find Wei Wuxian right next to Jiang Cheng as the deputy. 

For a minute he forgot to breathe. 

Wei Wuxian had chosen to forgo his usual dark robes for an indigo and magenta combined formal attire. His long hair was tied up in a tight braid taking all the hair away from the face. He could finally see the jawline that he so admired from afar. The blazing sun cast shadows under his cheekbones making him look even more handsome. The haphazard boy was gone! Replacing him with a refined-looking man.

Scared or not, no one could refuse that Wei Ying stole the limelight that morning. Here was a man with strength, skills, and beauty. And no man or woman could help but admire him. 

A thin line of possessiveness sliced through his heart. 

He felt small. 

He had never felt that feeling before. His own mother was not his to love. Since then he had vowed to never get attached to anything or anyone. His brother was the only exception. 

Now Wei Ying.

He fought with that feeling vehemently before losing. 

He had accepted long before the fact that Wei Ying was not his from the beginning and that he will never be his. But accepting a theory and watching that in person are two different things. He schooled his features before turning and looking forward. 

On the high seat sat, Lan Qiren and Jin Guangshan who sat there instead of being in the arena with his men; Elders of all the clans and Jiang Yanli. As there were no more clan leaders from the Yunmeng Jiang clan left, Jiang Yanli was picked to sit on the high seat. This increased morale among his people who had been sad over the loss. 

Her vibrant smile also eased the tense atmosphere in the high table. 

Wei Ying gave a big smile to his sister who returned it in kind. That smile was the only thing that prevented women from swooning all over Wei Ying. Now there was no more barrier. 

Lan Wangji's control started to slip as more time passed. 

Another horn was blown which signaled the start of the parade. The whole morning was spent on the parade with the clan leaders and elders taking turns with giving speeches. Wei Ying had a hard time not falling asleep and Jiang Cheng had to keep nudging him subtly. 

After all, falling off the horse for falling asleep with all the clans watching, was never a great idea. 

After the feast, everyone gathered in the arena again to witness a personal exhibition of skills from Jin Zixuan and Jing Guangyao. This was followed by Nie Minghue who displayed raw strength with his katas and fighting skills. Usually, another cultivator was allowed to challenge him in a test. But no one dared to with Nie Minghue.

Once the applause died down, Jin Guangshan stood up. This was never a good sign. 

"It has been such a great display. Sure. But should it not be more exciting?"

There was a roar of approval from the crowd.

"I propose! That Wei Wuxian of the Yungmeng Jiang clan displays his skills with his sword!"

A deadweight settled at the pit of Wei Ying's stomach. He could not breathe for a moment.

"Also! That the second master Lan challenge him!"

The crowd went wild for that announcement. Lan Wangji had never performed openly at these meets. He was never dared to till now. Lan Xichen showed a worried face before gently encouraging him. The announcement was out there and there was no more turning back. Accepting it with grace was the only option.

Both the fighters locked eyes for a moment. 

Lan Wangji saw the panic in Wei Ying's eyes but did not understand. 'Surely he does not believe that I will willingly hurt him?'

Wei Wuxian abruptly turned away. 

"Wei Ying....you do not have to." Jiang Cheng spoke up.

He suddenly stood up and walked towards the center of the arena and waited for the gong to silence the crowd.

He took a long look around. "I accept the challenge." There was a round of cheers from the people.

"But, I believe the fight should be on equal terms. Hence I will not fight with Suibian. We will both use a regular sword for this exhibition fight. Does my opponent accept?"

Lan Zhan had no options but to nod.

The challenge was issued and accepted.

Now all one had to do was wait.

\----------------------To be continued-------------------


	10. Who are you? -3

Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky was clear and it was easily one of the most beautiful sunsets that anyone has ever witnessed. The place looked heavenly bathed in the setting rays of the sun. It looked like the perfect setting for a lovers rendezvous and not for a fight.

Once the roar of the crowd died down the swords were presented to the fighters, the anticipation started.

They were simple swords made up of study iron and a standard handle. The kind that is given to foot soldiers or guards serving in the army. 

The stone podium in the middle of the arena was cleared completely for the upcoming fight. It was constructed with flat square bricks giving the podium an illusion of a chessboard. 

Lan Zhan hesitated a moment before tightening his grip on the sword's hilt and walked over to the podium and stood in position with his sword-wielding arm extended to the side. Wei Ying stood with his back to Lan Zhan and seem to be contemplating this whole situation. 

He turned around with his robes whipping in the wind. His lips held a smile but his eyes were dark. They held shadows of untold stories in them. 

"Fighters to position" 

The announcement ran across the entire arena silencing everyone. 

Jiang Yanli got up from her high seat and choose to walk over to the floor of the arena. She was escorted by one of her brother's guards. She stood with her hands clasped, waiting and hoping that Wei Ying sees her. 

Wei Ying stepped on the podium and cynically smiled at Lan Zhan. "Do not look so tense second master Lan. This is only a friendly fight."

Lan Zhan chose to say nothing and held his sword in position. 

Wei Wuxian was the first to move and the clank of swords could be heard in the entire arena. They exchanged a few friendly blows. Anyone looking could say that this was nothing close to a serious exhibition of skills. People were starting to make more noise.

"Oi! This ain't what we wanted!"

"Yeah!"

Jiang Cheng really did not want this situation to get out of hand. And the crowd could not be pacified. 

To make things worse, Jin Guangshan stood up to make an announcement. 

"My dear warriors and leaders and my people! I say we increase the intensity of this fight!"

He looked at Wei Wuxian dead in the eye as the crowd was cheering, and smiled. Wei Wuxian was yet to see smile uglier than this one. It held everything vile in this world. But this was a direct order from the leader of the most powerful cultivation clan and he better obey it.

He steeled his impulses but the darkness shrouding his eyes only increased twofold. Lan Zhan could see the difference in the demeanor of the other man. This was a serious fight now. 

Wei Ying rushed to the center to deliver a blow which Lan Zhan easily dodged by bending backward. He quickly stood up to his feet and held his sword for the next blow.

Wei Wuxian was relentless.

Lan Zhan knew Wei Ying was, in all basic sense, a warrior. His childlike personality seems to shield that truth a lot sometimes. But right now... with fire in his eyes and hair pulled back... He looked like he was the demon king himself. 

Wei Ying took advantage of the distracted man and delivered a series of well-coordinated blows. Lan Zhan caught up very quickly and met all the blows with swipes of his sword. At a point the two swords connected in a perfect X bringing their faces close. 

They locked eyes and a trance fell in between. Wei Ying chose to break the trance by pushing Lan Zhan with his forearms. 

But instead of stumbling, Lan Zhan twisted around his body to swipe his sword in a wide arc. They both stopped a minute to catch their breath. 

Wei Ying could feel an odd sensation in his arm and noticed the cut on his left bicep. 

Lan Zhan was so quick that he made sure only the tip of the sword was used to make the cut. Which made a precise and quick cut that you only feel it once the blood starts pouring. It neither slowed down the fighter nor made it hard to hurt the other party. In a friendly fight, this was perfect. 

He was light on his feet. Quick. Like a feather floating on the clouds. Yet deadly. Calm like the air yet strong like the wind. Lan Zhan was an extraordinary swordsman. 

Whereas Wei Ying had a much stronger approach to fighting which made him use his arm muscles a lot. This also gave him a steady, grounded footwork rather than light one. Which was key during hand to hand combats. This gave a winning edge to Lan Zhan.

As much as Wei Ying wanted to stop it, jealousy seeped in like poison. His talents seem to pale in comparison to Lan Zhan's natural skills. The poison took form and his eyes darkened. He rushed forward in a moment of insanity.

As the other man raised his sword to block the blow... It never came.

Wen Ying bent his left knee as low as possible that made him almost drop down to the ground and swung his sword. He could hear it ripping through flesh before he struck the sword on the ground to balance himself. 

After a moment of catching his breath, he looked behind him to see the other man slightly bent and the whole arena silent. 

The cloud in his mind cleared only after seeing the pool of blood by Lan Zhan's feet and he could almost see the femur through the gash. He could hear Lan Xichen calling for the medic. He could see the stunned expression on Jiang Yanli and the rest of the crowd. He could also see the disapproval on the elders's faces. 

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to reverse time.

Lan Zhan finally dropped to his knees unable to stand straight. He turned to look at Wei Ying behind him. 

That's when he snapped. 

Wei Ying dropped his sword drenched with blood, right there on the podium and walked away. He never looked back. 

And Lan Zhan never stopped looking back. 

\-------------------------To be continued-----------------------------------


	11. Who are you? -4

One climbed upon him and the other tried to bite his face off. And there was another one sitting right on top of the branch above him.

He had forgotten how many zombies he had fought off. 

After the fight, he had felt a bone-deep restlessness and anger. Where the anger stemmed from, he didn't know. But he knew he would combust if he didn't do something about it.

He has amassed a big amount of energy and called upon a number of dark creatures. He commanded them all to attack him at once and started fighting them. It was not a well-coordinated fight. One would expect an experienced fighter like Wei Ying to be more disciplined. But the fight was anything but that.

After another hour he got exhausted and decided to disperse the dark energy around the area. He was surprised that Jiang Cheng did not come looking for him to give him a lecture.

He walked back all the way to the tents wanting to talk to his shije. She was the only person he could talk to right now. He noticed the eerie quietness around the tent where shije was situated and walked around looking for her.

He noticed a crowd around the area located for the Lan and walked over. He saw everyone turn to look at him as he walked close by. There was malice in their eyes, which was something Wei Ying was used to. But the intensity of it was different.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Jiang Cheng?"

"Just walk." There was a biting chillness to his voice. Wei Ying turned around without asking any more questions. He sensed a seriousness to the tone. Once they were alone, he spoke up.

"Where is Shije?"

"DO NOT speak her name! Wei Wuxian, where were you?!"

Wei Wing was taken aback for a moment. Even though Jiang Cheng had a temper his outbursts were never violent, never directed at him. 

Right now, he looked ready for battle.

"Jiang Cheng..?"

"Shije..."

"What? What happened to Shije?" "Jiang Cheng!"

"Nothing!".... "Nothing. She is fine."

"You are scaring me! Speak the truth!"

"Shije almost got hurt. But she is fine. Lan... Lan Wangji brought her to safety."

"Please...I'm begging you. Tell me what happened!"

There was a static silence for a moment when Jiang Cheng waited to catch his breath. He started in a low voice...

"Once you stepped away from the arena, there was commotion everywhere... Everyone was trying to calm the angered Lans and trying to get the medical supplies to Lan Wangji. In the commotion, someone loosened up one of the pillars that held the fire goblets in... It almost fell on Shije... Almost."

Wei Ying swore his heart stopped that very moment. 

"But Lan Wangji was the only one calm enough to notice this and rushed to her aid. He moved her out of the way but his leg caught in the pillar as it fell."

".....The same leg that I?...."

Jiang Cheng nodded. 

Oh god

Oh god. no!

"His femur and two of his ribs are shattered. He lost consciousness due to blood loss... We honestly thought we would lose him."

Wei Ying slumped down on a stone unable to hold himself up anymore. His head would not stop spinning. He was caught between relief and pain. He had so many things to tell Lan Wangji!

He remembered the fight like it happened a minute ago. 

He remembered those intense golden eyes. They looked like they were aching to tell him something but didn't. He remembered the calm demeanor while fighting. It almost felt like dancing.

Like they were both dancing for a mating call. 

And for a moment.. just for a moment when their faces came together, he knew he saw something akin to affection there. It had scared him. And he had pushed Lan Zhan away. 

He remembered when his blade had slashed through the other man. He remembered feeling that momentary feeling of victory, of pride, before he realized what had happened. He remembered seeing the pool of blood before looking at the man himself. What he saw made him lose his mind.

Lan Wangji was not showing pain or anger. He was showing pity. For Wei Ying. 

He could not understand that feeling and he had snapped. A defeated, bleeding man was pitying him!

Thinking back now, he was not sure if it was pity or concern that he saw in that beautiful face. He needed to talk to Lan Zhan now. 

He got up and walked over to the tent.

He saw that the crowd has dispersed but there were still guards situated outside. He turned to Jiang Cheng with pleading eyes as to say, please take care of the guards. Jiang Cheng gave a stern look before walking over to the tent. He said some words to the guards after which he took over the guard's place and stood to wait. Then nodded at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying went in silently so as to not disturb the resting form.

The man on the bed was nothing like the man on the battlefield. Nothing like the man that fought him because he broke the curfew. Nothing like the soul that sat by the fire with him yesterday. 

He looked pale and ashen. His hair was in a disarray but his clothes were neatly arranged around him. He could see the bandages from the open robe and the red sports where he had hit his ribs and shoulders. His face was covered in sweat and his fingers bruised.

He gingerly reached out and touched those fingers. 

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to cry.

He wanted to rip those sheets away and hold the other man in his arms and say that he was sorry! He sat by the floor beside the bed and put his head on the other man's shoulder.

He never saw Lan Wanji as a mortal. Breakable.

This entire incident made him realize that Lan Zhan was only human. Only a man made of flesh and blood. Sometimes his beauty made people question if he descended from the heavens. But he was a man now and he was in pain.

What if he had lost Lan Wangji in the arena when all he was doing was throwing a temper tantrum? He didn't want to imagine it.

Right now, right here, he is alive by his side. That is all that matters.

Wei Ying tightened his grip on those fingers and closed his eyes.

"Are you...all right?"

Wei Ying jumped from his position and looked down at the barely alive man. 

"You're okay!"

"My wounds were not fatal."

Wei Ying silently helped the other man sit up and sat on the bed facing Lan Zhan. He wanted to give the other man a bone-crushing hug. But considering the fact that his bones were already crushed, he decided against it.

"I...I am.."

"No."

"Lan Zhan...I.."

"I will not receive your apology because it was not your fault. You gave a fair fight."

"But!"

"Not your fault." His eyes held the same intensity that it held the very first time he reprimanded him on the roof. WHY was this man making his head spin?

"God, you are beautiful."

Lan Zhan looked at him with a stunned expression. His eyes were wide and glowing.

"I... What I meant was.."

"Stop speaking Wei Ying." He voice went two tones deeper when he said this. 

"I will go if you want me to leave."

"...I want you to stay Wei Ying."

After a beat of silence, he whispered, "I always want you to stay."

He did not know what to understand from those words. Wei Ying suddenly had this burning urge to kiss the other man senseless. And that is exactly what he did. Wei Ting was a man of action and not a man of thought. 

When skin touched skin, Wei Ying lost himself. For a brief moment, the tip of his lips held everything. His world got shrunk to the size of that tiny tent. And his hands wound themselves around Lan Zhan before involuntarily squeezing.

Lan Zhan pushed him away. It felt like he had been slapped. Wei Ying lowered his eyes and got ready to leave.

"My ribs are broken."

He stayed silent.

"You were pressing on them"

"Oh no. Lan Zhan,..."

"I promise to kiss you as I did in the forest, once I am better." "wait until then."

Wei Ying chuckled and abruptly stopped. 

Wait.

"It was YOU?!!"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------the end.


	12. Emperor's smile -1

This was requested by @danglingmoon1 from Whattpad. I finally found the time to get to your request and I am really excited to present to you 'Emperor's smile'. I hope you and everyone else enjoy it :)

I also feel bad about not updating soon. I was dealing with some personal problems. I guess everyone has one of those phases in life. Well, now I'm back and ready to drown myself in writing :)

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Summary: Lan Zhan gets drunk on the emperor's smile and takes matters into his own hands. A story where Lan Zhan is the flirt and Wei Wuxian is trying to resist him.

Warnings: Mature themes.

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It was a mistake. An honest mistake.

He never thoughts things would go so south so soon. He had to find his husband and soon.

It was a beautiful morning when uncle Qiren came banging on the cottage door. Lan Zhan was out for teaching his morning classes and uncle Qiren had found some liquor hidden in the cloud recess library. Which was his fault.

He had come yelling ancient curses and banged at his door waking him up. 

Lan Zhan had kept him up all night and he had not slept well. They ended up playing a board game where he had repeatedly lost and refused to sleep until he won at least one game. His husband had then set the game aside and ravished him repeatedly until the stupid game was out of his brain. He was extremely sore that morning. 

He swore that his competitiveness sometimes got the best of him. 

With a pounding headache, he had opened the door to a fuming Lan Qiren. He had continuously yelled at him for a solid hour before he left. What was embarrassing was that a few juniors had witnessed this incident. 

The whole episode had put him in a bad mood and ruined his morning. He vowed to get back at the grumpy old man with the face of a bashed-in toad. He cursed Lan Qiren in many colorful phrases before devising his plan for revenge. 

Coming back to the present. 

It had failed in epic proportions. 

He had originally added the emperor's smile to Lan Qiren's cold soup. At first, he was worried that he would recognize the alcohol but he realized that that's not possible. How can a man that has never tried alcohol, know how it tastes?

And he had added the alcohol.

To the wrong bowl.

It had been the strongest batch. 

He was waiting to taste victory

That is when it happened. 

Lan Wangji, the love of his life, the second-born heir of the Lan clan came stumbling through the library pavilion in complete shambles. There still wasn't a single hair out of place and he still looked perfect. But his eyes were glazed with exhaustion and he could not hold himself together. 

At first Wei Ying's heart had dropped out of fear. He has thought that someone had poisoned his husband or worse, hurt him so much that he struggled to walk. He had rushed to his husband's side to support him and take him to the doctor's chambers. That's when he had felt it in the air.

The strong, sweet smell of the emperor's smile. 

What in the seven heavens had happened?!! 

His husband never drinks unless it's their anniversary or his birthday. He often says the day of Wei Ying's birthday was a day to celebrate. But... why today?

The soup. Oh no. 

The journey to the doctor's chambers was one of the longest. He had tried keeping it as dignified as possible while supporting his husband's weight. There were juniors walking along those corridors who had looked at them weirdly. 

He sat his drowsy husband down on the soft wooden cot inside the chamber and sat talking to Lan Zhan to prevent him from falling asleep. His husband barely responded to any of his questions. Wei Ying finally gave up talking and went to find the doctor himself. 

After searching for an hour he could not find the old wise man anywhere. The man was as old as a relic but he was always nice to Wei Ying that he found it hard to make fun of him. He had a wise face with smile lines which made one tell that that man had lived a peaceful life.

After consulting a few juniors he had realized that the doctor was unavailable due to a plague that has spread in a small village. He had taken all his disciples to make sure that the situation was not out of control. The Lans were all perfectly healthy that having doctors in cloud recess sometimes made no sense.

He sighed heavily before walking back to the chambers. He was going to put his husband in bed and make sure that he sleeps the effects of the alcohol off. 

\-----------------------------------------------

Oh My God.

For a minute, everything in his brain stopped functioning.

Lan Zhan had stripped off his top robes off and was standing in his lowers robes alone. He had a glistening torse with a thin layer of sweat covering his body. 

What was happening to his husband??

He rushed to pick up the scattered robes and gave them to Lan Zhan. "Lan Zhan! Put them on! We're close to your uncle's room and if he finds out, he will make my life hell."

Lan Zhan took a long look at Wei Ying through slitted eyes and promptly dropped the clothes. Wei Ying had a single minute to comprehend what was happening before he was roughly pushed into a pair of sweaty arms. He looked up at his husband to see his pupils completely dilated. His lips were parted and panting. He could feel Lan Zhan's every breath against his chest. He also felt something against his thighs....

His husband was aroused!

How did that happen?

This day has been throwing him into loops of reality that he not even sure is real. His husband was drunk, aroused and panting in heat. He absolutely had no escape from this situation. 

On another day, in another place, he would've relished this situation and thanked the gods. But right now he was still sore from last night and they're literally in the middle of cloud recess! Anyone could walk in on them. Lan Qiren did not need any more ammunition to take him down. 

"Lan Zhan, my darling, handle yourself. How about some water to drink? Let me get you some..."

The minute Wei Ying though he had triumphed, Lan Zhan pulled on his arm making him fall into the hard torse in front of him. His husband waited no time in pushing him down on the cot. 

Oh no.

This situation was getting out of hand.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------To be continued......


	13. Emperor's smile -2

Warning: Mature themes

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He stumbled onto the cot and dropped like a dead weight. He barely had time to understand what was happening before his robes were pulled off hastily. He reached out and stopped the hand that was pulling on his robes.

"Lan Zhan! We can't be doing this in the doctor's chambers!"

Now that he could see his husband's eyes closer, he saw that they barely had any sanity left in them. They were glazed over and seem to not see any reality. 

Wei Wing was worried beyond reason and did not understand why his husband has lost his inhibitions. The two strong arms were insistent in removing his robes. He finally stopped struggling and let his robes be taken away. The more he looked at his husband, the more he looked tired and out of control.

He abruptly got out of the bed and put some distance between them. The cot was the only thing keeping Lan Zhan from his reach and it will not last long. He needs to think of something and quick!

"Lan Zhan!... The juniors! I was supposed to take a class for them. I forgot my dear! I have to go! Which means you have to go to our chambers as well. let's go!"

He quickly collected his robes and ushered Lan Zhan out of the room. 

The man took only three steps when he suddenly turned around and ripped the clothes away from Wei Ying's hands and threw them in the corner. He kicked the door shut and dropped the deadbolt. He did all of this without ever taking his eyes off of his lover. 

Wei Ying swallowed a lump unknowingly. 

And that look. 

Oh, that look.

Lan Wangji looked nothing like the refined man that he was. He looked nothing like the respected teacher that he was. His decorum and discipline seemed to have disappeared along with his sanity. 

That is when he started removing his own robes. He started walking towards Wei Wuxian while taking off his clothes, layer... by later. With every inch of smooth skin that was revealed, the other man was starting to second guess his self-control. 

Not once did Lan Zhan break the eye contact. 

There was electricity in the air and something faintly buzzed in his ear. 

There was fear but the lust rushing through his veins was stronger. He could hear the other man's pants and his own heartbeat that threatened to beat out of his ribs. 

Alcohol never had this much control over Lan Zhan. His husband always got aroused under the influence of the Emperor's smile but never lost his control with him. He feared the consequences of this event and the fact that he directly contributed to it did not really make him feel better.

He was pulled to a warn torso and even warmer eyes. His eyes were slits and they seem to hold deep, dark, sinful secrets of the world that were begging to be discovered. They looked like they could melt any minute and all he would see would be gold.

He could feel two hands snaking their way inside his clothes. Fighting to resist his husband was getting harder as minutes ticked by. He could feel those hands making their way up to his neck. His chin was immediately lifted up by those hands. 

The man in front of him held so many promises for the night that he wanted to throw caution to the wind. 

Wei Ying stood there waiting... He was not sure of what will happen in the next few minutes. He could feel the tremble in Lan Zhan's fingers that held his chin. 

Looking down, he could tell the man was fighting hard to keep his control. After a few minutes, he realized his lover was waiting for Wei Ying's approval. Drunk out of his mind and he was still waiting for a sign from his husband to proceed.

Once a gentleman, always a gentleman.

His defences crumbled away at that gesture. That was the last straw for Wei Ying. He decided to act now and think later. That wasn't something new about him anyway. Thinking was never his strongest attribute. 

The evening rays of the sun filtered through the hazy white curtains, giving the room an ethereal glow. tiny droplets of sweat fell away from the forehead and trickled down to the hollow of the neck. The sun's glow made them shimmer as they traced a path downwards and fell away. A pair of lips followed that droplet and travelled down.

"Ah!"

A gasp. 

No matter how silent they wanted to be, it was getting very hard to not lose oneself to this experience.

He held on to the sheets, ripping them in the process.

The man above showed no signs of exhaustion.

There were marks left on the shoulder blades that will not go away any time soon. There were bruises on the hip bones that changed colours. The indent left by the fingers stayed on his chest. Reds and purples marred his flawless skin scattered on his neck. Muscles were cramped on the thighs from exerting pressure.

Where one began and the other ended became hard to tell. 

Two forms lay interwined among torn clothes and ripped sheets. 

\----------------------------------------------

When he opened his eyes all he could see was a bright light. He was surprised as it was sunset not long ago. He finally lifted himself away from the cocoon to look at the light.

It was mid-day!

They had made love throughout the night and had slept throughout the morning!

Wei Wuxian was surprised to find Lan Zhan nowhere in sight. Suddenly the door opened revealing his husband, dressed in his proper attire and holding two bowls of steaming porridge. He could see a slight dusting of color on his cheeks.

His husband was finally embarrassed! Finally!

He chuckled internally before speaking. "I will have you know, I am not moving from this cot any time soon as I hurt in unspeakable places." 

His cheeks got redder at this comment. How a grown man could be this adorable, Wei Ying did not know. 

He jokingly said, "Lan Zhan, I cannot believe alcohol has this effect on you. No more drinking!"

"Aphrodisiac..."

"What is that?"

"In my drunken stupor, I drank the aphrodisiac instead of water." 

Wei Ying's jaw dropped to the floor at that comment. Everything, literally everything made sense now!

Alcohol and aphrodisiac. 

Who would have thought!

\-------------------- The end...............................................


	14. !ANNOUNCEMENT!

To my loveliest readers who have been my greatest supporters,

I'm currently going through a personal crisis and I apologize to all of you for being active. I'm handling the situation the best way I can. But going through this situation also gave me the courage to post my new story.

**My new, original story.**

I have not has the courage to take this step until recently. When life pushes you out of your comfort zone, you realize that sometimes you just need to take the leap.

To all you who have enjoyed my stories, please take a minute to read my story ' **FORM** '. It is my original work and it means a lot to me.

        

Thank you for all your love and wonderful support that you have given me all this time <3 <3 I hope you do continue to do so. I also encourage you to tell your friends to read it as well, spread the message.

I also welcome your constructive advice :) Please inbox me or comment.

It means a lot to me :) 


	15. Inner child

This prompt was asked by a reader from Archive of our own. I hope you have fun reading it as much as I had writing it :)

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"ompf!"

He picked himself up in his chubby legs and continued walking. He was chasing one of the many rabbits in the cloud recess and had stumbled on a creeper. 

As the rabbits hopped up away from him he started getting restless. Soon he found himself at the entrance to the library pavilion. Father had warned him not to go inside in the afternoon hours. He said that Uncle Qiren would be angry if his classes were interrupted. 

But Uncle Qiren doesn't have to know!

He smiled to himself and ran inside. He saw a flash of the rabbit's tail dart across a corner and ran towards it. 

He found himself in a deserted corridor where there was not a soul in sight. The entire corridor was silent and serene, which meant that there was no one there and he would not get caught. Grinning, he took after the rabbit at full speed!

"You won't escape this time"

He jumped and landed on his nose. Realized he had horribly miscalculated the distance and ended up hearing a crunching sound. His nose!!!

His only consolation was that he had finally caught the stupid rabbit. 

"AHA! You stupid rabbit. You will not escape me a second time. I will not give you carrots anymore!"... "I caught you! Who is the fastest now!!"

"Young master Shizhui!!" A booming voice echoed through the whole room. 

Shizhui froze like a deer caught in the headlights. 

His inner monologue was something similar to this "oh no oh no oh no. nnnoooo. Uncle Qiren. He will make me eat bland food for a whole week. I do not want to recite a 100 poems! Father save me! I do not want rabbits anymore!"

"Uncle Q..Qiren.."

Once he finally managed to look up at the hall, he realized what he had interrupted. At least 300 of the oldest pupils were gathered in the hall for meditation. This combined their spiritual energies and helped them all be in harmony with each other. Which is why the entire corridor was quiet and was deprived of any visitors. 

"God help my soul when Uncle Qiren catches hold of it." He silently sent a prayer before giving in to his fate.

"Do you know what you have interrupted?!!" He spat with fire in his eyes.

"Yes Uncle Qiren..."

"Then you know your punishment."

"Yes Uncle Qiren..."

"Take him away to the isolation chamber." He instructed one of the senior pupils. The boy silently took Shizhui away with pity in his eyes. 

Uncle Qiren was notoriously known for his punishments. Anyone not following the rules will be in trouble, which included his father. This time it was isolation. He will be kept in an incense room alone for 24 hours to reflect on his mistakes. Food will be provided on time. It was a big, open room with a luxurious balcony. But that is exactly what made people feel lonely while being locked up there. There were no corners to hide in from yourself or from the world.

As a ten-year-old he just loved running around with the sheets and pretending to fly. Uncle Qiren should really stop giving adult punishments to children. It never works.

He kept his glee in and went with the boy.

............................................

2 Hours of running is all he could manage before he got tired. He sat on the mat drinking water out of the clay pot that was kept in the corner. 

His mind began to wander. He remembered the first time he had met Lan Qiren. It was not a good experience. He was stared down with such intensity that he had stayed in father's arms and wept. It is not a memory he wishes to relive. Honestly, Lan Qiren still made him almost wet himself.

He started wondering why Lan Qiren seemed to hold such contempt for him. He knows how strict that man can be but when it came to Shizhui it seems to be tenfold more. He was not sure why this was the case. He raked his memories for any incident that may have triggered Lan Qiren's hate and came up none.

Father told me that he had a bad fall when he was a toddler and ended up losing his memories. If he tried going far back everything got blurry and it always gave him a bad headache until father plays music to put him to sleep. 

He had tried pleasing the old man in multiple ways but nothing had ever worked. 

Shizhui had always been a faint-hearted kid that never wanted to hurt anyone. So that fact that his own family resented him for something he didn't remember hurt him more than he let on. He never questioned father as he was a busy man. Maybe today he will.

There was a dignified knock on the door. "Shizhui?" Came the basal voice.

The door opened to show Lan Zhan standing there with the keys. 

"Are you well?"

"Yes Hanguang Jun. I apologize for my behavior." He gave the older man a deep bow. 

"It was not intentional. Go back to your quarters."

He hesitated. If not now, he didn't know when else to talk to father about this. "Father?" 

Lan Zhan stopped and looked at Shizhui. He only ever called him father in private if there was something weighing on his mind. For a child, Shizhui's mind had deep thoughts sometimes that it surprised him. Reminded him of another soul. 

As much as Wei Ying played around and made crude jokes. His heart was pure and his mind deep. He was one of a kind and Shizhui's mind worked the same way sometimes. 

He sat cross-legged on the mat and waited for Shizhui to speak. 

"Father... when I was young. Did I do something wrong? By accident?"

"Please elaborate"

"Uncle Qiren... He does not like me very much does he?"

"Shizhui. Uncle Qiren is a tough man to please."

"No father... you do not understand. Sometimes the way he looks at me is very different. There is something in his eyes that I cannot explain. Father I am not imaging things."

"Uncle Qiren has his reasons and unless he explains them himself, we cannot put words to nonexistent ideas."

"Maybe so.... I'm sorry I was confused."

"No harm done. It is late Shizhui, go to your quarters."

The boy gave a bow and ran off to his quarters. 

He sighed. An action that he does not do a lot in public. How was he supposed to tell a child that Uncle resented him just because he resented their dead race and the man that raised him?

Some things are better left unsaid.

And sometimes all you need is a bit of love and a lot of understanding. Anyone can change.

Sometimes he wishes Wei Ying was given that.

He looked up at the bright moon and had a sudden assault of memories from the very first night he had met Wei Ying. It was similar full moon night. He had a sudden urge to shed a tear.

He stuffed those feelings back inside and walked away.

\------------------------------------end...........................................

Author's notes: Please stay inside.

I realize we are all in a tough situation right now. And being inside will not feel that great. But please stay in.

The Covid-19 virus can pass through you to someone else. You might have good immunity to fight off the virus but you can easily pass the virus on without even knowing. And the ones with lowered immunity will have to suffer. 

Please be mindful. Please be kind. Tough times test our strength as a community. We are all better than our selfish sides. we all have one, let us be honest. But letting it win would be a choice.

My inbox is open to anyone going through a tough time right now. Feel free to talk. I will try to post more chapters in the coming days. That's the least I can do for you.  
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	16. Lan Wangi

So I decided to sketch something after a looooong time... And Wattpad did not allow me to post the timeline video of the sketch. Which annoyed me, hence I posted it on youtube to allow you guys to watch it. :D

\- _**https://youtu.be/gUgicz_e35k**_

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Author's notes: Please stay indoors and stay safe in quarantine :) I will be posting a new short story on Wei Wing and Lan Wangji. The story will be set during modern times instead of the ancient setting. I would love your continued support for this story as well.... :)

I will be posting the details and chapters soon. Quarantine has given me a lot of time to work on it.

Thank you all again!


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